Palestinian Sabotage at UNESCO World Heritage Committee

“Before the ink was dry on UNESCO Director-General’s Middle East consensus resolution, Palestinian delegate tells media: ‘Israel’s actions threat to Palestinianheritage’”

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, as the only Jewish Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) accredited to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, expressed outrageat “the sabotage today by the Palestinian delegation, undermining the commitment to UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay’s Middle East consensus resolution, reached between Jordan, thePalestinians and Israel on the endangered heritage sites in the region.”

The Centre’s Permanent Observer, Dr. Shimon Samuels, was shocked to discover aninterview in the Gulf Daily News - The Voice of Bahrain, under the title, Israel’s actions, ‘threat to Palestinian heritage’... “such damaging Israeli actions were aimedat altering the distinctive characteristics of Jerusalem and Hebron... The main reason for these to be in danger is the Israeli occupation in Palestine...,” stated the Palestinian Ambassador toUNESCO.

Samuels stressed that, “before the ink was dry on the document, so carefully crafted by the Director-General, the Palestinians arguably demonstrated a lack of good faith towards UNESCO, to Jordanas co-signatory and, above all, towards the host country, Bahrain - an Arab Kingdom bent upon conflict resolution and interfaith harmony.”

“This interview is proof positive that Palestinian diplomacy misreads the shifting sands in moderate Arab countries, as also increasing Palestine-fatigue in UNESCO,” concluded the Centre.

For more information, please contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-553-9036. Join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the UnitedStates. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

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